Sunday Scribbles Writing Prompts: Snow. 52 week writing challenge, week 2

Welcome to Sunday Scribbles!

Today is week two of the 52 week writing challenge!

Introductory post: Sunday Scribbles announcement post
Past prompts: Sunday Scribbles past prompts

I had a different prompt in mind for the first prompt of Sunday Scribbles, but then, it started snowing. I stood by the doorway with my hand out in wonder and my eyes closed. I enjoyed the chill in my feet, my face, my hands. I imagined what it would be like for one of my characters, who sees snow about as rarely as I do, to experience snow.

Therefore, prompt one became weather related: ‘Describe an experience which takes place in the snow.’


My attempt is related to my work in progress, and involves one of my main characters, Maria. She lives in a warm climate,and rarely sees snow.

Sadly, the snow melted fast and did not settle properly 😦

My attempt:

When the group arrived on the outskirts of the village that evening, Maria was struck by a cold chill. Her long hair had fallen loose of it’s bun long ago, and it at least offered some protection for her ears. The rest of her though… Maria shuddered. She glanced towards Arckia with wide eyes as he removed his thick dragon skin coat.

‘Hey, what are you doing! You’ll freeze!’ Maria protested. Her teeth chattered, and her shoulders sunk a little with the weight of the coat that Arckia had placed around her.

‘I grew up in the mountains, I’m used to the cold,’ Arckia said with a shrug. His eyes were an even brighter blue than usual today, and they stood out against the redness of his cheeks. Still he did not shiver, not even a little.

‘Thank you,’ Maria replied. She huddled, grateful, into the warmth of the coat.

Arckia smiled, and he pointed to a small village in the distance. ‘It’s not far now.’

‘Good! I hope they have a large fireplace.’

When they arrived, Maria huddled as close to the fire as she dared. It did not take long for her to drift into an easy sleep.

When morning broke, a cool sunbeam brightened the room. It travelled over Maria’s face as the sun began to rise.

Maria yawned, and stretched her hands above her head. The blanket slid from her shoulders, but Maria shuddered, and she pulled it close around herself once more. She stood on unsteady feet. Her legs wobbled as she made her way into the kitchen, bundled up in her thick blanket.

When she entered the kitchen, Maria caught a glimpse of white through the window, a blanket across the landscape. She made her way towards the window with slow steps.

‘Wow…’ Maria let out a gasp, and her eyes widened in awe. She smiled and rushed to the door to throw it open.

Small flakes danced in the early morning breeze, and Maria grinned as her gaze swept over the ground. The sun made the snow sparkle in the sunlight. She shuddered, and huddled further into the blanket, as a brisk wind assaulted her face. With hesitance, she snaked her hand out from between the blanket, and reached, palm up, towards the sky. Maria giggled as a cold flake landed on her open palm. A small smile played on her lips as she watched, fascinated, as the snowflake evaporated within a moment.

Hypnotised, Maria reached out a tentative foot, and stepped over the threshold. A cool chill assaulted her feet. Maria glanced back with a frown. Her heavy boots from the night before sat by her bedroll near the fire, but her socked feet were already damp with the frigid, frozen snow that she had stepped on.

‘I won’t be out here long.’ She lifted her foot and placed it down on the snow again. There was a crunch, a crackle, as her toes connected with the crisp chill blanket which covered the earth.

Maria wriggled her toes, but the movement did little to warm them. Her thin socks were already soaked through, after no more than a few steps, and they offered slim protection from the biting nip of the compacted snow beneath her feet. Maria sighed, and she turned her eyes towards the sky.

Larger flakes danced around her, as if they had sensed her reverence. They caught in her eye lashes. They scattered in her hair. They came to rest upon her blanketed shoulders. Maria shuddered as one large flake invaded the blanket, and melted down the back of her neck.

She gazed around in awe, and a nearby fence caught her attention. Spider’s webs caught crystals of white, and were no longer hidden or secret, but exposed in the light of the snowstorm. A deep chill settled within her, and Maria shivered. She looked towards the house, and the window from which she had gazed earlier. The flakes had seemed so small, so distant, less real, from inside the warmth of the house. Out here, in the thick of the snowstorm, they captivated her attention, and drew her gaze away from the house and towards the flakes.

Maria shuddered, but less so than before. Her eyes sparkled with joy and wonder as she began to make her way with slow grace through the snow. She stood a little way from the house, and outstretched her arms by her sides. Snowflakes swirled around her. A chill breeze picked up. It blew a few larger flakes in an arc above her. Maria shook her foot to ward off the numbness that had started to spread to her ankles, and began to move in a slow circle.

The blanket slipped from Maria’s shoulders, forgotten on the floor. Her socks were damp, frigid with cold, but Maria continued to spin in a circle. Her shoulders relaxed, and the tension from the day before faded. Not a sound could be heard. The smile that played at Maria’s lips was relaxed, and it expressed the peace that she felt in this moment.

Unbidden, a giggle bubbled up inside Maria. It tore from her throat, the sound joyful and loud in the silence of the morning. The snowfall grew heavier, and Maria spun faster. Her eyes never left the flakes that spun around her, and they continued to dance together in the early morning light.

Moments. Moments like these were ones that she would treasure, hold close to her heart, until the day that she died. Maria brought one hand in to rest at her chest over her heart, and she watched as the blizzard slowed around her. Fleeting. Just like the snowstorm, life was so fleeting. They had to make every moment count.

Maria nodded to herself. ‘This is the right path.’

When she stepped inside later, Arckia would shake his head at her and grin as she shivered, coughed, and shook off the snow that clung to her hair and shoulders. Until then, she would enjoy the moment while it lasted.

End Prompt.



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